Editorial

In the 2016 December edition of Yesterday&Today educators of history
can look forward to a variety of thought-provoking and insightful research
articles on history theory and critical pedagogy. The scientific research
section contains topics such as the need for multi-perspectives, oral history
and historiography in a history course for preservice teachers; the politics of
gendering decolonisation and decolonising gender within the framework of
the South African history curriculum; an analysis of the depiction of women
in a Malawian history textbook; utilising the Stone Age for sport historical
teaching; and a historical survey of the development of Afrocentricity. The
two articles in the hands-on section refer to valuing heritage and teaching
good citizenship in schools in a post-colonial, post-apartheid era, followed
by possible methodological approaches in the teaching and assessment of
Holocaust history and the theories of race.

In the first scientific research article entitled, A history teacher educator’s
reflections after classroom observations: the need for multi-perspectives, oral
history and historiography in a history methodology course, Reville Nussey
argues that with South Africa’s contested past it is important for preservice
teachers’ historical consciousness to develop in order to present a multiperspective
view of history in their classrooms once they become practising
teachers. For this to happened Nussey believes a shift is necessary in history
teachers’ teaching and learning from a one-dimensional approach that splits
“fact” and interpretation to a multi-perspective view which allows for the
interrelationship of interpretations and “facts”. After observing practising
teachers - who were former preservice teachers - teaching a history oral task,
Nussey decided to recommend changes to an existing history methodology
course. He suggests that for preservice teachers to understand the different
interpretations of the past, it is necessary to link their oral history narratives
to an understanding of aspects of historiography.

In the first of the two articles relating to woman and gender, The South
African high school history curriculum and the politics of gendering decolonisation
and decolonising gender, Lindsay Wills argues that gender and gender theory
should form an integral part of a decolonised history curriculum. She
critically analyses to what extent the Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statement (CAPS) satisfies the basic requirements put forward by feminist
historians and gender activists, finding the current curriculum lacking in
expectation. She convincingly claims that the curriculum fails to effectively
capture the deeper complexities of women’s experiences and contributions
within a historical context of race interacting with class and gender. Wills
concludes that gendering history in a decolonised South African curriculum
would require the revisiting of many of the topics to analytically explore and
establish how gender has functioned as a significant axis of power.

Annie Chiponda and Johan Wassermann in their article entitled, The
depiction of women in the verbal text of a junior secondary Malawian history
textbook – an analysis, explore ways in which women are depicted in the
textbook studied and also seek for reasons why they are depicted in this way.
Drawn on the feminist theory, the verbal text of the book under discussion
was qualitatively analysed. Their research findings show – as is also the case
globally – that women are under-represented, marginalised, subordinated,
oppressed and stereotyped in various ways. Due to teachers and learners
often considering textbooks to be authoritative and accurate, Chiponda and
Wassermann caution that these portrayals will send out negative and distorted
messages about women. In conclusion the authors recommend that the junior
history syllabus and textbooks be revised and updated to be aligned with the
Malawian constitution and legal policies aimed at promoting gender equality.

In his article, Utilising the Stone Age for sport historical teaching, Francois
Cleophas maintains that students are generally resentful when they are
expected to study sport practices of ancient civilisations, such as the Stone
Age period. He succeeds in converting historical knowledge into pedagogical
communication by combining the Canadian Benchmarking project with
the revised Bloom’s taxonomy for teaching ancient culture to undergraduate
students of sport history. Students were requested to utilise various activities
that involve their cognitive, affective and psychomotor domains to compile a
narrative of ancient sport practices in pre-colonial “Stellenbosch”. The article
concludes with the students’ reflection on their experiences in the creation
of their narratives. In the process some interesting suggestions for future
pedagogical activities of this nature were also made.

In his article, The development of Afrocentricity: A historical survey, Midas
Chawane maintains that although the origin of Afrocentricity as an idea
and philosophy cannot be established with certainty, it is nevertheless clear
that the ideology emerged in reaction from African scholars challenging the
traditional Eurocentric perspective that places Europeans’ contributions at
the epicentre and downplays or excludes the role played by Africans in world
history. Although admitting that Afrocentricity is a controversial issue and
investigating the criticism levelled against it, Chawane believes it should
become part of an on-going academic debate. He argues that such a debate
will help to seek solutions for the current problems and demands at some
universities where the call for a decolonised curriculum are made.

In the first hands-on article entitled, Some considerations for History teachers
in acknowledging and valuing heritage and teaching good citizenship at schools in
a post-colonial, post-apartheid era, Paul Haupt emphasises the importance of
taking cognisance of the multi-faced perspectives of heritage within the school
community. He argues that educators, and especially History teachers, have
an important role to play to reflect in their writing and teaching the pride
that the preservation of local history instils in communities. He believes that
a healthy debate between the various segments of society (of which the school
is but a microcosm) regarding differing perspectives on heritage is essential.
When tolerance and mutual respect and recognition for different opinions are
acknowledged and consensus can be reached on a common humanity, Haupt
believes it will cultivate a sense of belonging that will ultimately foster good
citizenship.

In the second hands-on article, Assessment in the teaching of Holocaust history
and theories of race, Lesley Cushman draws on the contributions of various
scholars and bodies when teaching difficult and controversial histories. She
argues that when teaching and assessing this particular kind of content, it has
to be well thought out and cannot merely be seen as just another academic
exercise. She examines four Grade 11 History textbooks by performing a
rigorous analysis of sample questions to illustrate the difficulties commonly
encountered in the teaching and assessment of the topic “Theories of race”. In
the process, Cushman provides insightful suggestions on assessment strategies
and aspects such as the interpretation and phrasing of assessment questions,
impartiality and neutrality. Cushman’s contribution will undoubtedly be of
value to teachers teaching and assessing content within the context of the
human rights History classroom.

In the book review section, Leevina Iyer critically reviews Michael Morris’s,
Every step of the way: The journey to freedom in South Africa. This is followed
by Bafana Mpanza’s review of Phillip Kgosana’s autobiography, entitled, Lest
we forget: An autobiography.

Apart from the above contributions, this edition of Yesterday&Today also
includes information on the South African Society for History Teaching’s
(SASHT’s) conference programme. This conference was held from 6 to
7 October 2016 at Pine Lodge in Port Elizabeth. The presidential speech
of the chairperson of the SASHT, Prof. Elize van Eeden, is also included.
Furthermore, a photo collage can be seen that was compiled of those who
attended the conference. This edition concludes with a SASHT regional
report which elaborates on the activities of the regional representatives in the
different provinces of South Africa.

Finally, the International Society for History Didactics (ISHD) in conjunction
with, the SASHT: as host, is pleased to announce that the annual conference
in 2017 will be an international conference, and will take place from 13-
15 September 2017 at the Riverside Sun Hotel, cor. Wenning and Emfuleni
Drive, Vanderbijlpark. See included on the last pages the conference... The
conference theme and call for papers will be announced during January. Also
consult the SASHT website for updated information on this conference.

Haupt, Paul M(The South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) under the auspices of the School of Basic Sciences, Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, 2016)

In a diverse and fractured post-colonial society, schools need to take
cognizance of the multi-faceted perspectives of heritage represented within
the school community. A healthy debate between the various segments of
the ...

Cushman, Lesley(The South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) under the auspices of the School of Basic Sciences, Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, 2016)

The focus of this article is Holocaust education as well as the teaching and
learning of race theories, as set out in the Curriculum and Assessment Policy
Statements (CAPS) for Grade 9 Social Sciences (History), and Grade ...

Chawane, Midas(The South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) under the auspices of the School of Basic Sciences, Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, 2016)

The origin of the Afrocentric philosophy cannot be established with certainty.
The most influential book advocating it was published in 1954. Marcus Garvey
was one of the most influential propagators of the ideology. ...

Cleophas, Francois Johannes(The South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) under the auspices of the School of Basic Sciences, Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, 2016)

In this article the author explored sport history pedagogy by combining
the Canadian Benchmarking Project with the Revised Bloom’s Taxonomy
(RBT) for teaching ancient culture to undergraduate students of sport history.
The ...

Chiponda, Annie F; Wassermann, Johan(The South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) under the auspices of the School of Basic Sciences, Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, 2016)

This article analyses the depiction of women in the verbal text of a history
textbook used at junior secondary school level in Malawi. The focus falls on
how women are depicted in the textbook and why they are depicted ...

Wills, Lindsay(The South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) under the auspices of the School of Basic Sciences, Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, 2016)

In this article, I argue that the category of gender should be an essential
consideration for a decolonised curriculum, and that gender theory should be
included in its analytical toolbox for two reasons: firstly, because ...

Nussey, Reville(The South African Society for History Teaching (SASHT) under the auspices of the School of Basic Sciences, Vaal Triangle Campus, North-West University, 2016)

Given current debates about South Africa’s contested past, how could teacher
educators address this issue with preservice teachers so that their historical
understanding develops and they present a multi-perspective view ...